Pharrell Williams

One of his ancestors journeyed to West Africa in 1831, prompting other relatives to emigrate from the U.S. to Liberia in 1832.

Williams met Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp, where Williams played drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone.

They attended Princess Anne High School where they were in the school band.

He has been widely considered as one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century, and is credited with impact on various genres of modern popular music.

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (born April 5, 1973), sometimes known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, composer, and singer.

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the eldest of the three sons of teacher Carolyn and handyman Pharoah [sic] Williams.

His ancestry goes back many generations in Virginia and North Carolina.

In the early 1990s, Williams formed a hip hop group named Surrounded by Idiots with Chad Hugo, Magoo, and cousin Timbaland; they disbanded before making any records.

He then formed a four-piece "R&B-type" group, the Neptunes, with Hugo and friends Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge.

They entered a high school talent show, where they were discovered by producer Teddy Riley, whose studio was next to the school.

After graduating, the group signed with Riley.

The Neptunes began working with rap duo Clipse (rappers Pusha T and Malice) in the late 1990s, and worked on Clipse's album Exclusive Audio Footage, which was not released.

Williams graduated from high school in 1991 and he attended Northwestern University for two years before dropping out.

Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, he first gained mainstream recognition as one half of the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes, which he formed in 1992 with fellow musician Chad Hugo.

Collectively, they have produced 15 singles which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100—including four songs that peaked atop the chart—as Williams gained initial recognition as a frequent backing vocalist for the duo's productions.

Williams wrote Riley's verse on Wreckx-n-Effect's 1992 hit "Rump Shaker".

As the Neptunes, Williams and Hugo produced Noreaga's 1998 single "Superthug".

He also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams serves as lead vocalist.

They worked with singer Kelis, producing her first two studio albums, Kaleidoscope (1999) and Wanderland (2001).

The Neptunes produced Mystikal's single "Shake Ya Ass" (2000), Jay-Z's single "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" (2000), and Nelly's single "Hot in Herre" (2002).

After co-founding the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo as an imprint of Arista Records in 2001, Williams released his 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z).

Despite commercial success and peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, he deemed the song to be a one-off project upon release and opted out of an immediate recording career; however, he signed with Virgin and Interscope Records to continue doing so.

In 2001, N.E.R.D., a band composed of Williams, Hugo, and Haley, released their debut album In Search of....

Williams and Hugo signed Clipse to Arista Records through Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint in 2001.

The Neptunes produced songs on singer Babyface's 2001 album, Face2Face, including its lead single "There She Goes".

The Neptunes produced the Britney Spears songs "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Boys" for her third studio album, Britney (2001).

In 2002, Clipse released their debut album, Lord Willin', with produced entirely by the Neptunes.

That year, the Neptunes produced numerous songs on Justin Timberlake's debut album Justified, including the singles "Señorita", "Like I Love You", and "Rock Your Body".

In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album, Clones.

According to an unnamed August 2003 survey cited by The Age, it was found the Neptunes produced almost 20% of songs played on British radio at the time; another survey in the US found they'd produced 43% of radio songs.

The Neptunes produced Snoop Dogg's single "Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004), which also featured vocals from Williams.

The Neptunes produced Gwen Stefani's single "Hollaback Girl", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 82 on the issue dated April 2, 2005, and topped the chart within six weeks of its release.

His debut studio album, In My Mind (2006) was met with commercial success and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, although critical reception was mixed.

In 2006, Williams released his debut solo album, In My Mind.

Williams produced and guest performed alongside T.I. on Robin Thicke's 2013 single "Blurred Lines", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

That same year, he won two Grammy Awards—Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance—for his appearance alongside Nile Rodgers on Daft Punk's single Get Lucky", which peaked at number two on the chart. Furthermore, his own 2013 song, "Happy"—released for the soundtrack to the animated film Despicable Me 2—became his second to peak atop the chart within that same year. The latter preceded the release of his second album, Girl (2014), for which it served as lead single; the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception.

Williams has received numerous accolades and nominations.

He has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (one as a member of the Neptunes).

He is also a two-time Academy Award nominee: in 2014 for Best Original Song, for "Happy" (from Despicable Me 2); and in 2017 for Best Picture, as a producer of Hidden Figures.

As sole proprietor, he founded the multi-disciplinary media company I Am Other in 2014, which acts as both a record label and creative umbrella for his other endeavors, including his fashion label and retailer, Billionaire Boys Club.